Golf

“I’m doubly excited and interested as we approach the historic and long-awaited return of golf to the Olympics,” the 86-year-old American said in a statement originally published on the Golf Channel. “I’ll be rooting for the USA, but pulling for the sport of golf.”

BINANGONAN, Rizal—Former champion Angelo Que and reigning Order of Merit winner Tony Lascuña clash in an early duel of the fancied bets in the ICTSI Manila Masters unfolding today, Wednesday, April 5 at the Eastridge Golf Club in Binangonan, Rizal.

Que and Lascuña drew rookie pro Ira Alido in the featured 7:20 a.m. flight on No. 10, both hoping for a strong start needed in the P3 million championship which features the cream of the local crop and a slew of international players out to break the locals’ domination of the Philippine Golf Tour.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) -- John Daly says he's not accustomed to seeing himself atop the leaderboard. He's got a chance to do something else he hasn't accomplished in a long time - win a golf tournament.

Daly shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Kenny Perry in the PGA Tour Champions' Insperity Invitational. The 51-year-old, two-time major champion will try for his first victory on the senior tour - and for the first time since the PGA Tour's 2004 Buick Invitational.

TARLAC—South African Mathiam Keyser and John Catlin of the US produced identical six-under 66s in varying fashions as they led the assault of the foreign bets against the local aces in the $60,000 ICTSI Luisita Championship at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

BINANGONAN, Rizal—Tony Lascuna pounced on Guido Van der Valk’s early meltdown then fended off Jay Bayron’s late-hole charge in a sweltering high-noon shootout, drilling in a pressure-packed 14-foot birdie putt on the final hole to snare the ICTSI Manila Masters crown by one with a 70 yesterday (Saturday).

Tony Lascuña shoots for a second straight Philippine Golf Tour victory next week in Tarlac but faces a formidable cast of local and foreign rivals in his title-retention drive in the ICTSI Luisita Championship slated May 3-6 at the Luisita Golf and Country Club.

The veteran Davaoeño shotmaker is brimming with confidence heading to the $60,000 event, which also features a crack roster of international players. Not only did he break the Luisita jinx with a two-stroke victory over Korean Park Jun Hyeok last year but also ruled the last PGT stop at Eastridge last month, also his first at the Binangonan layout.

MEN’S TEAM CAPTAINS MEETING. A total of 80 are seeing action in the 70th PAL Men’s Regular Interclub starting today in Davao. Photo shows the team captains and tournament officials during the second team captains meeting at Rancho Palos Verdes.

SENIORS INTERCLUB. The 2nd team captains meeting of the PAL Seniors Interclub last Feb. 19 at Rancho Palos Verdes Golf & Country Club signaled the start of the 70th edition of the country's longest running team golf championship that unfolds this year in Davao City.

Manila Southwoods-Masters will have a proverbial bulls-eye in its back starting Sept. 19 when the 12th PAL Ladies Interclub tees off in Cebu City as the squad shoots to rule the prestigious event for the seventh straight year.

TARLAC—The Ladies Philippine Golf Tour resumes Tuesday with six aces from Thailand slugging it out with the leading local players in the P1 million ICTSI Luisita Ladies Challenge at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here.

Thailand LPGA campaigner Janjir Tiensa-ard joins sisters Nemittra and Nimmitta Juntanaket, Chattara Chatwararat, Jaruporn Palakawongnaayuttawa and Numa Gulyanamitta in the hunt for the top P250,000 purse in the 54-hole championship serving as the third leg of the 10-stage circuit sponsored by ICTSI.

A TOTAL of 66 PGA Tour golfers have earned more than $US1 million over the course of the 2017 season so far, but that doesn’t mean that some players aren’t trying to save money when possible.

On Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, 21-year-old South Korean Si Woo Kim cruised to a victory at The Players Championship with a flawless bogey-free round to earn $1.89 million ($A2.5 million). It was Kim’s second career PGA Tour victory.

CEBU CITY—Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club surged to a commanding 21-point lead over defending champion Manila Southwoods Masters at the start of the 12th Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub golf team championships yesterday at the Cebu Country Club.

Yuka Saso, the 16-year-old Fil-Japanese, fired 59 points built around eight birdies to lead the Lubao-based squad which also drew 55 points from Tomita Arejola and 53 from national player Harmie Constantino.

BINANGONAN, Rizal—Veteran Benjie Magada and sophomore pro Justin Quiban leaned on superb backside stints to card identical four-under 68s in hot and windy condition, wresting a one-stroke lead over Tony Lascuña and Japanese Genki Okada at the start of the ICTSI Manila Masters here yesterday.

Gerald Rosales rattled off four straight birdies to launch his bid in a late start at the Eastridge Golf Club but the former Philippine Open champion wavered at the back with four bogeys, enabling Magada and Quiban to remain on top in the early going of the P3 million event sponsored by ICTSI.

McIlroy is returning to action for the first time since the Masters last month, and it is also his first appearance as a married man after he wed long-time girlfriend Erica Stoll in Ireland a fortnight ago.

Johnson finished a shot behind champion Brian Harman at the Wells Fargo Championship at the weekend in his first outing since a freak back injury forced him to pull out of the Masters just moments before he was due to tee off at Augusta National.

AUGUSTA -- Sergio Garcia, winless in 73 prior majors, shook off a Masters legacy of third-round setbacks Saturday to match Rio Olympic champion Justin Rose for the lead entering the final round.

Garcia has gone a combined 38-over par to average 75 in 13 prior Masters third rounds. But this time he fired a two-under par 70 to match the best of those rounds from 2002 to join England’s Rose in Sunday’s final pairing with a great chance at a long-sought dream.